If US Mass Media Were State-Controlled, Would They Look Any Different?

[G_j]

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/26-0


Published on Wednesday, June 26, 2013 by Common Dreams

Snowden Coverage: If US Mass Media Were State-Controlled, Would They Look Any Different?
by Jeff Cohen

The Edward Snowden leaks have revealed a U.S. corporate media system at war with independent journalism. Many of the same outlets—especially TV news—that missed the Wall Street meltdown and cheer-led the Iraq invasion have come to resemble state-controlled media outlets in their near-total identification with the government as it pursues the now 30-year-old whistleblower.

While an independent journalism system would be dissecting the impacts of NSA surveillance on privacy rights, and separating fact from fiction, U.S. news networks have obsessed on questions like: How much damage has Snowden caused? How can he be brought to justice?

Unfazed by polls showing that half of the American rabble—I mean, public—believe Snowden did a good thing by leaking documentation of NSA spying, TV news panels have usually excluded anyone who speaks for these millions of Americans. Although TV hosts and most panelists are not government officials, some have a penchant for speaking of the government with the pronoun “We.”

After Snowden made it out of Hong Kong to Russia, New York Times journalist and CNBC talking head Andrew Ross Sorkin expressed his frustration: “We’ve screwed this up, to even let him get to Russia.” By “we,” he meant the U.S. government.


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[WovenGems]

1. They would

The message wouldn't be discombobulated so much. The problems are easy to see but by combining many sources the pieces start to fall into place. The source documents are what you need otherwise it is yellow journalism.

[rurallib]

2. I would bet Obama wouldn't be bashed as much............

[sigmasix]

3. more bullshit from the bullshit brigade

If American media was government controlled we would be immersed in a constant stream of pro-Obama stories and articles. The media that is at work in America is so obviously doing the work of the criminal wealthy and well connected right wing operatives. American news media was destroyed with the advent of the reagan FCC. Republican attacks on American news media have resulted in the termination of the best democracy-defending news media the world has ever seen. American news media will continue to exclusively represent the lies and distortions of the right wing until we the people develop the political will to re-enact fairness policies and legislate regulations that once again restrict monopolization of our news media. Allowing fox "news" to create the echo-box of right wing media concerns was a mistake of historic proportions that continues to reverbate through-out our entire media landscape.
American news media is doing exactly what it's owners want it to do; de-educating Americans and replacing truth with partisan character assasinations and anti-science ignorance.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again; what left wing media?

[G_j]

4. are you sure you read the article?

it pretty well supports what you just said.
Though Obama is not the government, the media will get fully behind military and security policies.

[Octafish]

7. The Secret Government is largely GOP, hence Corporate McPravda

Details in "The Mafia, CIA and George Bush" by Pete Brewton.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. It is fretting indeed close to that.

[woo me with science]

6. Let's see. Corporations own our government. Corporations own our media.

The administration is targeting whistleblowers and peaceful protesters, and criminalizing investigative journalism.

Mass surveillance is in place, and the state propaganda machine is omnipresent.

Hmm. Can we all say, "corporate fascism"?

Excellent OP. K&R

[KurtNYC]

8. You say "state controlled media" -- I say media controlled state

as in, the same corporations that own media, own our government. Media entities are a small part of the bigger corporations that own them. It is vertical integration.

Ronald Reagan was the spokesperson for GE, the prior owner of NBC, MSNBC, etc. They helped make him president and they guard his legacy. Reagan struck down the Fairness doctrine -- essentially privatizing the public airwaves.

30 years later, they are privatizing the government.

[Generic Other]

9. And yet they also seem to hate the government

as well. So you have Faux fawning over and attacking simultaneously.